“I think you are making a mistake. Many of the guards believe he is innocent.” The Warden sat back and looked at Greg. “Every criminal says they are innocent Greg and they get caught. Now take his final meal he doesn’t deserve and get out of my office.” Greg grabbed the plate on it was a single steam bun with pineapple encrusted sugar, mango chicken curry with peshwari naan, a fremont sky kraken ipa, one scoop of moose tracks ice cream and one scoop of cherry garcia, and last 3 oreos. All for a very peculiar man that Greg much to his disdain had come to highly respect. His last day on this earth was scheduled to end in just 3 hours. The cell was dark as he approached he grabbed his keys off his belt and undid the feeding door. He slid the tray inside. “Here you go Travis.” The disheveled man on the other side grabbed the tray and sat back down on his bed. “Thanks Greg.” He was a polite man, which was odd here. He spoke with Greg often or Greg spoke with him. He killed his wife or so that’s what the judge and jury of their small town in Arkansas said. He always told Greg and the other guards he came home to find the love of his life gone. He was out running and his phone didn’t have service, the only alibi a saved run that the lawyer said was faked after the killing. He told everyone the only regret he had was not finding the man who had done it. “How you doing Travis?” Shuffles and eating came from the other side. “I’m fine soon I’ll get to see her again.” Greg walked away with tears in his eyes. He trusted the system for 14 years. Trusted they killed the bad and saved the good. Today he didn;t trust it at all. Every talk they had, interaction they held, told him only one thing. Inmate 432 in holding cell 5 was innocent.
Travis leaned his head against the cell wall and sipped on his ipa. He could see her in every taste. The days they would sit on that old porch and watch their friends and kids run around their yard. He didn’t much believe in god but today he prayed for a heaven. A chance to hold her again, smell her smell again, and tell her he was sorry that he wasn’t there. Tears started to swell with resentment and hate at the fact he let her down. “I’m sorry,” he said between sobs as he took another sip. Travis cleaned himself up and stood after finishing his meal. The door opened and in walked the priest and 3 guards every single one a somber look in their eyes. “Travis, it’s time.” Is all that was said the day an innocent man was led to the end.
Housed and Fed 